The characterization and pocessing of Australian grown hemp fibres. This project will, for the first time, systematically examine the characteristics and processing behaviour of Australian grown hemp fibres. The hemp industry is an emerging new industry in rural Australia. This research will tackle a number of complex problems concerning characterization, degumming, and processing of Australian grown hemp, and will engineer the finest and softest yarns as well as industrial products from this he ....The characterization and pocessing of Australian grown hemp fibres. This project will, for the first time, systematically examine the characteristics and processing behaviour of Australian grown hemp fibres. The hemp industry is an emerging new industry in rural Australia. This research will tackle a number of complex problems concerning characterization, degumming, and processing of Australian grown hemp, and will engineer the finest and softest yarns as well as industrial products from this hemp. This will position the local hemp industry as well fibre processing industry in a very strong position to meet the growing demand world wide on this "green" fibre.Read moreRead less
Formation and characterisation of continuous electrospun nanofibre yarns. Australia historically has a strong fibre and textile industry that can be augmented by embracing emerging nanotechnology. The proposed research will develop a technology that can greatly improve the productivity of nanofibres. These fibres can then be spun into continuous yarns and other form of textile products. The nanostructured products offer exceptional functions for biomedical and environmental applications. This ne ....Formation and characterisation of continuous electrospun nanofibre yarns. Australia historically has a strong fibre and textile industry that can be augmented by embracing emerging nanotechnology. The proposed research will develop a technology that can greatly improve the productivity of nanofibres. These fibres can then be spun into continuous yarns and other form of textile products. The nanostructured products offer exceptional functions for biomedical and environmental applications. This new technology has the potential to transform the Australian textile technology and fibre processing industry. Read moreRead less
Scouring and Dehairing Australian Cashmere Fibres. The project aims to develop a viable method of dehairing greasy Australian cashmere materials. Traditionally, cashmere materials are scoured or washed first, followed by dehairing to extract the useful fine cashmere fibres. This is expensive and water consumption for scouring is also high. The current project will overcome the difficulties in dehairing greasy cashmere and optimise the process of scouring dehaired cashmere fibres. Technology deve ....Scouring and Dehairing Australian Cashmere Fibres. The project aims to develop a viable method of dehairing greasy Australian cashmere materials. Traditionally, cashmere materials are scoured or washed first, followed by dehairing to extract the useful fine cashmere fibres. This is expensive and water consumption for scouring is also high. The current project will overcome the difficulties in dehairing greasy cashmere and optimise the process of scouring dehaired cashmere fibres. Technology developed in this project will reduce scouring cost and water consumption, improve dehairing yield, and increase the flexibility of cashmere scouring and processing, leading to a more sustainable Australian cashmere industry.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Non-Crimp Fibre Preforms for Polymer Composites: Innovative High-Value Products for the Australian Textiles Industry. This project aims to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) weaving technology for fabricating multi-functional fabrics for advanced fibre-reinforced composites. 3D woven fabrics with low fibre waviness for high structural performance, integrally woven optical fibre sensors for loads monitoring and damage detection, and woven thermoplastic filament ....Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Non-Crimp Fibre Preforms for Polymer Composites: Innovative High-Value Products for the Australian Textiles Industry. This project aims to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) weaving technology for fabricating multi-functional fabrics for advanced fibre-reinforced composites. 3D woven fabrics with low fibre waviness for high structural performance, integrally woven optical fibre sensors for loads monitoring and damage detection, and woven thermoplastic filaments for self-healing aim to meet the emerging demands of industry for light-weight high-performance composites. This new technology aims to deliver to the Australian textiles and clothing industry a new capability in manufacturing carbon-fibre based fabrics as reinforcements in advanced composites, thus helping reinvigorate and realign an important Australian industry sector.Read moreRead less
Three-Dimensional Polymer Fibre Scaffolds with Functional Nano-structured Surface. The Partner Organisation to this research, CyGenics Ltd, is a world leader in cell biotechnology. A key challenge faced by the CyGenics and other biotech companies is the provision of tissue scaffolding materials that have the right three-dimensional macroscopic structure plus a suitable nano-structured surface micro-environment, similar to the natural extracellular matrix. This joint project combines expertise in ....Three-Dimensional Polymer Fibre Scaffolds with Functional Nano-structured Surface. The Partner Organisation to this research, CyGenics Ltd, is a world leader in cell biotechnology. A key challenge faced by the CyGenics and other biotech companies is the provision of tissue scaffolding materials that have the right three-dimensional macroscopic structure plus a suitable nano-structured surface micro-environment, similar to the natural extracellular matrix. This joint project combines expertise in polymer fibres, surface engineering and cell culture to tackle the key challenge. The outcome will help position the local polymer fibre and cell culture industries at the forefront of tissue scaffolding materials research and development. Read moreRead less
Value Adding to Australian Cashmere Fleece. This project will lead to major technical advance in the processing of both cashmere fibres and cashmere guard hair. Reducing the level of breakage in fine cashmere fibres will add significant premium to the price of cashmere fibres and products. In addition, the large amount of coarse guard hair removed from cashmere dehairing process will be converted into quality fine powders, which will add significant value to an otherwise 'waste' product. This pr ....Value Adding to Australian Cashmere Fleece. This project will lead to major technical advance in the processing of both cashmere fibres and cashmere guard hair. Reducing the level of breakage in fine cashmere fibres will add significant premium to the price of cashmere fibres and products. In addition, the large amount of coarse guard hair removed from cashmere dehairing process will be converted into quality fine powders, which will add significant value to an otherwise 'waste' product. This project will benefit the entire animal fibre industry, particularly the rare animal fibre industry.Read moreRead less
New Optimisation and Control Technologies for Milk Powder Manufacturing Processes. Advanced optimisation and control are considered to be one of the top technologies that help milk powder producers operate their plants more efficiently. However, the successful implementations of these technologies are limited due to poor understanding of the relationship between raw material variations and process disturbances with the target variables. Moreover, uncertainties in process measurements also preven ....New Optimisation and Control Technologies for Milk Powder Manufacturing Processes. Advanced optimisation and control are considered to be one of the top technologies that help milk powder producers operate their plants more efficiently. However, the successful implementations of these technologies are limited due to poor understanding of the relationship between raw material variations and process disturbances with the target variables. Moreover, uncertainties in process measurements also prevent reliable control and effective optimisation. This project aims to address these gaps by developing new optimisation and control methods based on effective model reduction and uncertainty process variable identification, to enable Australian milk powder manufacturers to continuously improve productivity and reduce cost.Read moreRead less
Developing an integrated optimisation platform for innovative design of composite fabrication process. This project will develop a new optimisation design tool enabling industry to virtually test innovative design concepts for the next generation of composite manufacturing process. This will reduce composite production cost and energy used, making the Australian composites industry more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
A transformational approach to enabling the low cost fabrication of intricate titanium components. The high production cost of titanium components has been the central issue that inhibits the large-scale industrial applications of titanium and its alloys, despite their outstanding properties. This project aims to develop an innovative titanium hydride injection moulding process to enable the fabrication of intricate titanium components at low cost while ensuring excellent mechanical properties. ....A transformational approach to enabling the low cost fabrication of intricate titanium components. The high production cost of titanium components has been the central issue that inhibits the large-scale industrial applications of titanium and its alloys, despite their outstanding properties. This project aims to develop an innovative titanium hydride injection moulding process to enable the fabrication of intricate titanium components at low cost while ensuring excellent mechanical properties. The outcomes have the potential to transform the current manufacturing practice of small intricate titanium components for wide industrial applications. In addition, the project aims to create and deliver new advanced manufacturing technologies and skills urgently needed by the Australian industries for lifting productivity and economic growth.Read moreRead less
Computational alloy design for cold spray deposition. The aim of this project is to design a new generation of proprietary, high performance alloys and composites that are optimised for cold spray deposition. Cold spray is a new manufacturing technology that is used to create coatings for enhancement, repair, restoration and for additive manufacturing. Using a systems approach and by integrating experiment with computational models, this project will generate new knowledge for enhanced materials ....Computational alloy design for cold spray deposition. The aim of this project is to design a new generation of proprietary, high performance alloys and composites that are optimised for cold spray deposition. Cold spray is a new manufacturing technology that is used to create coatings for enhancement, repair, restoration and for additive manufacturing. Using a systems approach and by integrating experiment with computational models, this project will generate new knowledge for enhanced materials design. Partnering with Ruag Australia, a leading Defence aerospace supplier, the project will deliver a practical tool for the accelerated design of metal powders for cold spray and invent commercially useful advanced materials to improve the competitiveness of Australian manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less